1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a disk player having an automatic disk conveying mechanism.
2. Prior Art
A conventional disk player having a mechanism to carry a disk from disk magazine to a disk read-out unit is generally designed as follows: A disk magazine which contains disk trays one on top of the other is secured on a base frame. A disk carrier and a disk read-out unit are also provided on the base frame, and the disk carrier moves up and down in front of the disk magazine. Upon receiving a selection signal, the disk carrier is raised and draws out a selected disk tray from the disk magazine. The carrier is then moved down to bring the disk to a specific read-out position of the disk read-out unit so that the disk is played there.
FIG. 10 illustrates a typical structure seen in conventional disk players wherein a driving gear 1 meshes with a large gear 2, and the large gear 2 meshes with three small gears 3. Each of these small gears 3 has a screw rod 4, and these screw rods 4 engage with a base plate 5. The disk carrier (not shown) and read-out unit (not shown) are mounted on the base plate 5. A disk magazine 6 containing disks 7 is installed in front of the base plate 5.
This prior art system, however, has several problems in that since the disk magazine 6 is in a position, and the corresponding disk carrier and read-out unit (both not shown) are moved up and down to pick up a selected disk tray and read out the disk in the disk tray via a gear train, structure-wise the system must be very precise in order to accurately set the selected disk in the read-out unit. Thus, a very precise and complex mechanism is required.
Furthermore, the mechanism used to set the disk in the read-out unit uses a magnetic disk presser. This disk presser is activated via another mechanism (not that for the disk carrier) after the disk carrier is moved to a disk pick-up position and the selected disk is set at the read-out position.
Thus, in prior art mechanisms, the up-and-down motion and the disk pressing action are executed using separate driving means. As a result, the structure becomes complex, creating high manufacturing costs. In addition, since the separate driving means are required for executing different actions, the size of the entire system tends to become large.
In addition, a special means is required to prevent erroneous ejection of the disk magazine. This causes the system to be even more complex and expensive to manufacture.